I am a reporter in the USA TODAY Washington bureau. I have done practically every job possible in my nearly 40-year career in journalism. I have covered nearly every beat from local police to the White House and was a statehouse bureau chief and an investigative projects reporter. While working as a projects reporter I won a George Polk award and a national Society of Professional Journalists Public Service award in addition to numerous state reporting awards in the Midwest.During my time in the USA TODAY Washington Bureau, I have covered the Tennessee delegation, including the Senate race between Bob Corker and Harold Ford Jr., the short-lived presidential campaign of the late Fred Thompson, and the national political conventions in 2008, 2012 and 2016.More recently, I covered the West, including the issues of wildfire, water usage, and public lands, including the National Parks.